Category Archives: Skiing

The planning and logistics of skiing can scare people away from the sport. However, you can counter this and attract college students to the slopes by marketing adventure.

Skiing can seem like a lot of work, especially for those who’ve never experienced it before. There are a lot of logistical concerns one must plan before even hitting the slopes, including: arranging transportation to the ski area, renting gear and transporting it to the slopes, buying lift tickets or ski passes, obtaining the right winter gear, clothing, and accessories, and securing lodging to name a few. This can be intimidating and scare people away from skiing. However, ski areas can counter this and attract college students to the slopes by marketing adventure.

Make skiing and snowboarding more accessible to the youth by offering college discounts or college ski passes, and advertising them to students on campus.

The Future of Skiing Depends on the Youth

Reaching college students and the youth is no longer an option for the winter sports industry, but a necessity: “The lack of young people taking up skiing and snowboarding is one of the most worrying issues facing the whole of the European snowsports industry. Without new blood coming in it is expected the numbers of people who go skiing will go into long-term decline.”[1]

In order to successfully reach college students, ski areas need to penetrate students’ space. Use college marketing to engage students with skiing opportunities.

Why Ski Resorts Should Engage Students With Skiing Opportunities

The youth and college demographics represent key segments of the ski industry. Capturing this audience can not only expand clientele, but can translate into lifetime customers. The earlier you get people skiing, the earlier skiing habits will develop; it will become a way of life, not just a onetime venture. If you can connect with this elusive group and get them pumped up about skiing and the slopes, they will share their excitement with others.

When developing a ski area college marketing plan, it is important to consider timing, marketing channels, reach, geographical locations, and target audiences.

When Developing a Ski Area College Marketing Plan Consider:

Timing

Timing plays a critical role in college marketing, especially in the skiing and tourism industry. You need to start your college marketing campaign early enough to generate awareness, but not too far in advance that students forget or lose interest. NAM Youth Marketing has found the best time to start an on-campus marketing campaign for ski resorts and ski related paraphernalia is in early September. This allows your resort to establish an on-campus presence, build brand awareness, and attract attention. It also creates heightened anticipation for the upcoming ski season and fosters excitement among the students.

Learn how to successfully promote ski resorts using movies and images. Video clips and movies can capture the excitement and energy of skiing, captivating students in a matter of seconds. Incorporating them into your college marketing plan will generate interest among students and create buzz on campus.

Visual elements are increasingly important when it comes to college marketing, as the youth increasingly engage with technological devices and social media platforms, many of which are highly visualized. When researching how to do something, most students turn to YouTube for advice, as the videos allow viewers to understand the instructions in a more concrete way than text alone. Videos have the power to transport a person to a place and time. This leads to a more active form of advertising, as it require viewers to watch and engage with the material.

NAM Youth Marketing offers marketing to college campuses and classrooms nationwide. We leverage print, digital, and social media marketing strategies to maximize your business prospects with the college and youth market.